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Four Students Selected to Participate in Summer Research Projects Sponsored by the National Science Foundation

Physics major Will Hardy will be working at the Rice Quantum Institute this summer as part of the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates program (Photo by Carlos Barron).

Acceptance into programs is extremely competitive

Four Southwestern students have been selected to participate in summer research programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

The programs are all part of the NSF’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. Students selected for the program receive travel expenses, room and board, and a stipend of up to $4,500.

Will Hardy, a junior physics major, was selected to work at the Rice Quantum Institute, which conducts research in molecular physics. Although his specific project is still to be determined, he will be investigating properties of metallic carbon nanotubes.

Amanda Jefferies, a junior physics major, will be participating in a physics and astronomy REU program at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. She will spend 10 weeks working with Peter Frinchaboy, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, on a study of reddened star clusters, which can provide important information about the chemical and dynamical evolution of the galaxy.

Morgan Mingle, a junior majoring in animal behavior, was selected to participate in a research program at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, which is the nation’s oldest and largest primate center. Mingle will be working on a project involving chimpanzees and vocal behavior with Frans de Waal, the C.H. Candler Professor of Psychology at Emory University and director of Living Links Center. Mingle was one of 11 undergraduates selected out of more than 600 applicants to participate in this program.

Kayla Odom, a junior majoring in biology with a minor in environmental studies, was selected to participate in an ecosystem research program at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest located in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. She will spend 10 weeks working with two researchers who are exploring the effect of moose herbivory on songbird habitat and the distribution of food.